Dana Zátopková (Czech pronunciation: [ˈdana ˈzaːtopkovaː]; née Ingrová [ˈɪŋɡrovaː], born in Karviná-Fryštát, September 19, 1922) was a Czech javelin thrower. She won the gold medal for javelin in the 1952 Summer Olympics (only an hour after her husband, Emil Zátopek, won the 5000 m), and the silver medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics. She was the European champion in 1954 and 1958. She also set a world record in 1958 (55.73 m) when she was 35, making her the oldest woman to break one in an outdoor athletics event.
The couple were well known for their public banter. Once, when Emil attempted to take some credit for his wife's Olympic victory at her press conference, claiming that it was his victory in the 5 km run that had "inspired" her, she tartly responded, "Really? Okay, go inspire some other girl and see if she throws a javelin fifty meters!!"
Dana and Emil were the witnesses at the wedding ceremoney of Olympic gold medalists Olga Fikotová and Harold Connolly in Prague in 1957. Emil spoke to the Czechoslovak president Antonín Zápotocký to request help in Olga getting a permit to marry Connolly. While it's not clear how much this helped, they surprisingly received a permit a few days later.[1]
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Zatopkova, Dana |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Czech javelin thrower |
| Date of birth |
1922 |
| Place of birth |
|
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
|
Czechoslovakia
